Weather: Heavy downpours and strong gusts later tonight

Enjoy the hazy sunshine while you can as a band of rain developing over the Atlantic Seaboard will become widespread tonight.

That's according to Met Éireann who say wind speeds are set to increase in a southwesterly direction, with gusts of 50 - 70km forecast along the Atlantic coast.

Saturday will start out cloudy and will see thundery downpours at times, interspersed with short sunny spells, throughout the day.

It will feel a little cooler than today, with top temperatures reaching between 9 - 11 degrees, while fresh winds will strengthen later in the day.

Easter Sunday looks to be a cold and breezy day but will see the appearance of bright sunny spells.

However, there is the threat of hail or thunder in some parts, with heavy rain overnight.

Easter Monday will start out wet but will clear later in the day.

This mixed bag of weather is set to continue for the rest of next week.

It will turn showery with the risk of hail or thunder. Showers will die out on Sunday night and winds moderate for a time. However, there is the risk of heavy rain in the south spreading northeastwards in freshening winds.